An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), commonly known as a drone, is an aircraft without a human pilot aboard. Its flight is controlled either autonomously by onboard computers or by the remote control of a pilot on the ground or in another vehicle. The typical launch and recovery method of an unmanned aircraft is by the function of an automatic system or an external operator on the ground. In general, UAVs are simple, remotely piloted aircraft, but autonomous control is increasingly being employed.
Most designs for multi-rotor UAVs are rigid. The ones that incorporate a compacting or a “fold” configuration usually utilize hinges in order to produce a collapsible design for the prototypes. Hinge mechanisms that rotate motor arms in both vertical and horizontal axes of the UAV have dominated the collapsible UAV design pool. These designs, although successfully reducing the size of the UAVs, are limited due to lack of symmetry and the length of various extremities. Other methods for decreasing the size of a quad rotor UAV in transit include detachable quick release components. Once the extremities of the quad are removed, the size of the case required to protect and transport the UAV unit also decreases. However, these designs which usually utilize small screws and bolts to hold various parts together, presenting a disadvantage in the field when attempting to deploy a UAV unit. Hardware required for assembly gets lost and the time required for deployment can cause delays.
The present invention utilizes design symmetry and a pull pin mechanism to reduce both the space required to transport and the time it takes to deploy a multi-rotor UAV.